Karbalas witness tazia burials before police intervention
LUCKNOW : The city karbalas witnessed burial of some tazias on Monday, a day after Ashura, the 10th day of Muharram that is meant for tazia burial. The Muharram ritual is performed to commemorate the martyrdom of Imam Hussain in the battle of Karbala (Iraq). However, the tazia burials were stopped during the day after police locked the doors of the karbalas and banned the entry of ‘taziyedaars’ there. Anil Kumar Yadav, assistant commissioner of police (ACP) claimed that no tazia procession took place in the area. “Police force was deployed near Talkatora karbala to ensure peace. Locals in the area cooperated with us and no untoward incident was reported,” he said.
“Some tazia burials did take place in the day. However, after police intervention, the burials were stopped,” said Syed Faisi, secretary/mutwalli, Karbala Talkatora.
Earlier in the day, a few taziyedaars thronged at the city’s three karbalas — Karbala Malka Jahan in Aishbagh, Karbala Talkatora and Karbala Diyantud-Daula in the old city -- to carry out the burials.
This was being done despite government’s directive prohibiting tazia processions and the Allahabad high court dismissing petitions challenging the government’s directive. While dismissing the petitions, the court had observed that “it is with a heavy heart we hold that in these testing times, it is not possible to lift the prohibition by providing any guidelines for regulating the mourning rituals connected with 10th day of Muharram.” “Religion is something personal. And since there was no lockdown on Monday we came to the karbala to carry out the burial and that, too, while following Covid protocol,” a taziyedaar said. He said they respect court’s order and perhaps, for the same reason, they didn’t carry out burial on Ashura, which fell on the weekend.
THE MUHARRAM RITUAL IS PERFORMED TO COMMEMORATE THE MARTYRDOM OF IMAM HUSSAIN IN THE BATTLE OF KARBALA (IRAQ).